Suction cleaner valve adjustment for on and off the floor cleaning



y 11. 1954 w. H. mm 2,677,848

SUCTION CLEANER VALVE ADJUSTMENT FOR ON AND OFF THE FLOOR CLEANING Filed Oct. 6, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. Will fan: I]. Kz'flo May 11. 1954 w. H. KITIO 2,677,848 SUCTION CLEANER VALVE ADJUSTMENT FOR ON AND OFF THE FLOOR CLEANING Filed Oct. 6, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY.

Patented May 11, 1954 VALVE ADJUSTMENT SUCTION CLEANER, FOR ON AND OFF T HE FLOOR CLEANING William H. Kitto, Evanston, Ill., assignor to The Hoover Company, poration of Ohio North Canton, Ohio, a cor- Application October 6, 1950, Serial No. 188,7 38

6 Claims. 1

The present invention relates to suction cleaners and more particularly to converting the cleaner to and from off-the-floor cleaning.

An object of the invention is to provide a suction cleaner having a converter receiving port and a barrier therefor which is operated by the means for adjusting the nozzle. Another object of the invention is to provide a converter port barrier operated by the nozzle adjusting means to complete the converter member when inserted in the cleaner. A further object is to provide a converter port barrier which maintains the nozzle in position for off-the-iioor cleaning and also for on-the-floor cleaning. Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description and draw ings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of one embodiment of the invention showing the cleaner in position for on-the-fioor cleaning;

Figure 2 is a side elevation, partly in section, showing the cleaner arranged for oiT-the-fioor cleaning;

Figure 3 is a section along the line 3-3 of Figure 2; and

Figure 4 is a side elevation showing a modification of the invention for operating the converter port barrier and the nozzle adjusting means.

The embodiment of the invention disclosed in Figures 1 to 3 comprises a body provided with a surface cleaning nozzle Hi from one end of which extends a suction air passageway I I communicating with an eye [2 of a fan chamber 13 provided with a discharge passageway [4 to which is removably attached the lower end of a dirt filtering bag l5 suitably supported at its upper end to a handle is pivotally mounted at i! above the discharge passageway I 4. An unshown horizontally disposed motor has a shaft !8 at one end of which is attached a fan [9 and the opposite end of the shaft is provided with a pulley for a belt 20 to rotate an agitator 2| movably mounted in the nozzle i t.

The cleaner body is supported on non-adjustable front wheels 23-23 and rear wheels 2 i-24, the latter being mounted on a shaft 25 carried by a frame 26 pivotally connected at 2! to the cleaner body. A pair of springs 28, only one of which is shown, are disposed between the body and the frame 26 and at all times urge the nozzle Ill downwardly toward the surface 29 about the pivot 21'.

The air passageway ll, rearwardly of the fan eye I2, is provided with a port 3| from which extends a converter passageway 32 for receiving a converter member 33. The port 3! is controlled by a valve or barrier 35 having an arcu ate wall it of about 180 and a circular side wall 31 provided with an annular boss 38 which is rotatably seated in an opening in the side wall 39 of the suction air passageway i! to support the valve 35. The arcuate wall 36 of the valve 35 completes the suction air passageway H and prevents insertion of the converter 33 when the cleaner is arranged for on-the-floor cleaning, as shown in Figure 1.

One end of a link to is rotatably secured to a pin iii mounted in the boss 33 and the opposite end is pivotally attache-d by a pin 32 to an arm 63 of the frame extending forwardly of the pivot 27. Thus pivotal movement of the frame 26 is transmitted through the link 59 to the valve to rotate the latter in opposite directions. A lug projects from the top wall 55 of the air passageway H to abut the end 4? of the valve 35 when the latter is in its closed position, as.

shown in Figure 1.

The converter 33, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, is provided with a conduit portion having opposed side walls til and 59, a top wall 5| terminating in an arcuate end 52 and a bottom wall 53, the latter being provided with an opening extending between the end of the arcuate wall 52 and the point 54 of the bottom wall, while the inner side wall has an opening 55 corresponding to the top 180 of the fan eye. Although the converter member 33 when inserted spans only the upper half of the fan eye, the two openings therein provide for passage of air through the entire area of the fan eye l2. The converter 33 is provided with a shoulder 51 for engagement with the lug to position the converter when inserted, and also has a shoulder 58 which receives the end 67 of the valve 35 to prevent counter-cloclrwise movement of the latter. In order to removably attach the converter 33, the passageway 32 is provided with an opening iii to receive a pin 6! mounted on a spring member 62 secured by a rivet 63 to the converter lower wall 53, and the latter has an opening through which a button o projects for operating the spring member 152 and thus the locking pin 6! with respect to the opening 60.

In operation for on-the-floor cleaning, as shown in Figure l, the springs exert a force on the frame 26 to pivot the latter clockwise and thus move the valve 35 to its closed position with the end 4'! of the valve against the lug 55 to prevent further relative movement between the rear wheels 24-44 and the cleaner body to thereby maintain the nozzle It in proper position relative to the urface 29 for on-the-floor cleaning. The motor rotates the fan l9 and the agitator 2| to remove the dirt from the surface 29 and the dirt is carried by the air stream through the passageway I l into the fan chamber 13 and is discharged therefrom into the dirt filtering bag l5.

When it is desired to use the converter member 33 to clean only by suction, the operator depresses the rear end of the body against the force of the springs 28 to lift the nozzle Ill and pivot the frame 26 counter-clockwise causing the link 40 to rotate the valve 35 to the position shown in Figures 2 and 3. The converter 33 is inserted through the passageway 32 and the opened port 3| into the air passageway ll until the shoulder 51 abuts the lug t and the locking pin 6| is in the opening 6i! to thereby properly position the converter with respect to the fan eye l2 and the valve 35. The shoulder 58 on the converter engages the end ll of the valve to prevent counterclockwise movement of the latter and lock the rear wheels 2 5-24 to maintain the nozzle in olf-the-fioor cleaning position. When the converter 33 is fully inserted, the valve 35 cooperates therewith to seal the nozzle It from the fan eye i2 and also forms an opening the same size as the fan eye E2 to supply all the available suction to the converter 33. One end of a hose is at taohed to the converter 33 and the unshown opposite end is provided with a suitable nozzle for cleaning surfaces solely by suction.

In order to again adjust the cleaner for on-thefloor operation, the button 64 is depressed to remove the pin 6! from the opening 68 to unlock the converter 33 and the latter is then pulled out of the passageway 32 to release the springs 23. The springs 28 are then permitted to lower the nozzle l9 and to move the frame 26 clockwise and thus the valve 35 to its closed position, where by the end 4'! of the valve 35 abuts the lug 45 to prevent further downward movement of the noz zle l0 and thus adjust the latter for on-the-floor cleaning.

The modification of the invention disclosed. in Figure 4 is alike in all respects to that in Figures 1 to 3 with the exception of the mechanism for operating the converter port barrier and nozzle adjustment. The boss 38 on the valve 35 is provided with an operating member 58 having a pad 61 to receive the operators foot or hand to rotate the valve 35 and move the link All.

The nozzle is maintained in on-the-fioor cleaning position as previously explained, but in order to adjust the cleaner for oif-the-floor operation the operator applies a downward force on the pad 61 to rotate the valve 35 clockwise to its open position for insertion of the converter 33. Such movement of the valve also moves the link at to pivot the frame 26 counter-clockwise and thus raise the nozzle it! to its ofl-the-fioor cleaning position.

While I have shown and described but two embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that those embodiments are to be taken as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense. I do not wish to be limited to the particular structure shown and described but to include all equivalent variations except as limited by the scope of the claims.

I claim:

1. In a suction cleaner, a body having a nozzle for on-the-fioor cleaning, a suction fan chamher having an inlet, a suction air passageway connecting said nozzle to said inlet for on-the-floor cleaning, and a port for inserting a converter into said air passageway to partly close the latter to said nozzle, valve means for opening and closing said port and when in open position disposed within said air passageway and cooperating with the converter to form a barrier across said air passageway between said nozzle and said fan chamber inlet and connect the latter with the converter for oif-the-floor cleaning, means adjusting said nozzle for on--the--floor and ofi-thefloor cleaning, said nozzle adjusting means connected with said valve means to efiect movement of the latter to its open position for insertion of and cooperation with the converter for said offthe-floor cleaning upon operation of said nozzle adjusting means to ofi-the-floor cleaning position.

2. In a suction cleaner according to claim 1, and means on said body cooperating with said valve means when in closed position to maintain said nozzle adjusting means in position for onthe-floor cleaning.

3. In a suction cleaner, a body having a nozzle for on-the-fioor cleaning, a suction fan chamber having an inlet, an air passageway connecting said nozzle to said inlet for on-the-fioor cleaning, and a port or connecting a converter to said air passageway {or off-the-floor cleaning, valve means for said port mounted on said body and movable to a closed position to prevent attachment of the converter and movable to an open position within said air passageway to uncover said port and control flow of air from said nozzle to said inlet, means adjusting said nozzle for on-the-fioor and off-the-floor cleaning, and means connecting said nozzle adjusting means with said valve means for movement of the latter to its open position upon adjustment of said nozzle to its oif-the-fioor cleaning position.

A suction cleaner according to claim 3 including means on said body cooperating with said valve means when closed to maintain said nozzle adjusting means in position for on-the-floor leaning.

5. In a suction cleaner, a body having a nozzle for onthe-floor cleaning, a suction fan chamber having an inlet, an air passageway connecting said nozzle to said inlet for on-the-rloor cleaning, and a port for connecting a converter to said air passageway for oif-the-fioor cleaning, valve means for said port mounted on said body and movable to a closed position to prevent attachment of the converter and movable to an open position within said air passageway to uncover said port and control flow of air from said nozzle to said inlet, means adjusting said nozzle for on-the-floor and oil-the-floor cleaning, means connecting said nozzle adjusting means to said valve means to shift the latter to said closed and opened positions upon said adjustment of said nozzle to on-the-fioor and ofi-the-floor positions, means on said body cooperating with said valve means when in closed position with respect to said port to maintain said nozzle adjusting means in position for on-the-floor cleaning, and means on the converter when attached cooperating with said valve means when in open position within said air passageway to maintain said nozzle adjusting means in off-the-fioor cleaning position.

6. In a suction cleaner, a body having a nozzle for on-the-floor cleaning, a suction fan chamber having an inlet, a suction air passageway connecting said nozzle to said inlet for on-the-fioor cleaning, and a port for inserting a converter into said air passageway to partly close the latter to 5 said nozzle, valve means for opening and closing said port and when in open position disposed Within said air passageway and cooperating with the converter to form a barrier across said air passageway between said nozzle and said fan chamber inlet and connect the latter with the converter for off-the-floor cleaning, bearing means in a wall of said air passageway rotatably supporting said valve means and defining an opening through which a portion of said valve means extends, means adjusting said nozzle for on-the-fioor and oiT-the-fioor cleaning, said nozzle adjusting means connected with said portion of said valve means to effect movement of the latter to its said open position for insertion of and cooperation with the converter for said off- References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,660,331 Frantz Feb. 28, 1928 1,939,407 Orr Dec. 12, 1933 2,024,260 White Dec. 17, 1935 2,126,396 Kitto Aug. 9, 1938 2,143,018 Kitto Jan. 10, 1939 2,188,379 Taylor Jan. 30, 1940 2,322,223 Coss June 22, 1943 2,517,670 Humphrey Aug. 8. 1950 

